Advancing a UN Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons
Ensuring that recognised rights can be realised in practice
The PICAC Alliance supports the development of a United Nations Convention on the Human Rights of Older Persons.
This is an important opportunity to strengthen the recognition, protection, and practical implementation of older persons’ rights around the world.
As a national alliance of experts in culturally appropriate aged and community care, the PICAC Alliance is contributing a delivery-focused perspective. Our focus is on ensuring that the rights recognised through a future Convention are supported by the systems, cultural frameworks, and practical measures required for their realisation in everyday life, particularly for older people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
Read the PICAC Alliance submission
About the UN Convention process
In April 2025, the United Nations Human Rights Council established an open-ended intergovernmental working group to develop a legally binding international instrument for the promotion and protection of the human rights of older persons.
The working group held its organisational session in Geneva from 18–20 February 2026. Its first substantive session is scheduled for 13–17 July 2026.
The PICAC Alliance will continue to share relevant updates as this important international process progresses.
Why Culturally responsive implementation matters.
Recognising rights is essential. However, rights must also be accessible, meaningful, and measurable in practice.
For older people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, the way systems are designed can significantly influence whether rights are fully realised.
This includes whether older people can:
- access information and services in a language they understand
- make decisions in ways that reflect their individual preferences
- choose whether family, community members, or trusted support networks are involved
- receive consistent support when moving between health, aged care, disability, and community services
- be represented in research, data collection, policy development, and service improvement.
A future Convention should recognise cultural diversity as an essential consideration in the practical delivery of human rights.
The PICAC Alliance position
PICAC Alliance contributes a delivery-focused perspective, ensuring that rights recognised in the Convention are supported by the system conditions, cultural frameworks, and indicators required for their realisation in practice, particularly for culturally and linguistically diverse older persons.
Our contribution is grounded in a simple principle:
Rights should not only be recognised. They should be translated into systems that work for older people in real life.
To support this goal, PICAC Alliance has developed a Rights-to-Delivery Model focused on five practical foundations.
The PICAC Alliance Rights-to-Delivery Model
1. Person within community
Older people should be supported to exercise autonomy in the way that is right for them.
For some people, this may mean making decisions independently. For others, it may involve family, community members, cultural networks, or trusted support people.
A culturally responsive approach recognises that autonomy is not limited to independence. It also includes the right to choose how decisions are made and who is involved.
2. Meaningful access
Access is more than the availability of a service.
Older people should be able to understand, navigate, and benefit from the systems designed to support them. This includes timely interpreter access, language-appropriate information, culturally responsive communication, and clear pathways through complex service systems.
3. Continuity across systems
Older people often interact with multiple services, including health, aged care, disability, and community support systems.
Their preferences, communication needs, and support requirements should not be lost when they move between services.
Continuity is essential for safety, dignity, and equitable outcomes.
4. Data as accountability
Data should help identify inequities and drive meaningful system improvement.
Older people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities must be appropriately represented in research, evaluation, reporting, and service design.
When communities are missing from the data, their experiences can remain invisible in the systems intended to support them.
5. Minimum implementation indicators
A future Convention should be supported by practical measures that show whether recognised rights are being realised.
This includes indicators that can help monitor:
- whether language and communication needs are being met
- whether interpreter support is provided in a timely manner
- whether individual preferences are documented and respected
- whether continuity is maintained during service transitions
- whether data systems can support coordinated care
- whether diverse communities are proportionately represented in research and evaluation
- whether reporting leads to practical improvement.
Indicators help move rights from principle to practice.
Our ongoing contribution
The PICAC Alliance will continue to advocate for culturally responsive systems that translate recognised rights into consistent, measurable, and equitable outcomes for older people.
Our role is to bring practical service-system knowledge into the Convention process, informed by the experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse older people, families, communities, and aged care providers across Australia.
Stay Informed
The PICAC Alliance will continue to share updates, resources, and opportunities for engagement as the Convention process develops.
Contact the PICAC Alliance Secretariat